tata manza full review by mannu

What you'll like: • Extremely neutral family sedan. Well rounded 6 - 7 lakh rupee car • Fuel-efficient 1.3 diesel engine. Nice gearbox too • Unreal back seat comfort. Interior space comparable to two segments higher • Excellent ride quality. Acceptable handling • Build quality, fit and finish are way improved. No longer a major turnoff • Respectable level of equipment and safety kit • Sheer value for money pricing What you won't: • Tata needs to prove that it can consistently mass produce niggle-free cars • Interior fit & finish still have room for improvement. Below average in some areas • Lack of outright performance • Inconsistent after-sales network Take a look at the key points of the Manza in our video overview : ___

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The original Indigo did well for itself. The Indian market bought 275,000 of them since the time of launch in 2002. Today however, in 2009, the 6 lakh rupee sedan segment is more competitive than ever. Not only are there more sedans jostling for space in this price band, but we also have premium 6 lakh rupee hatchbacks (e.g. Hyundai i20) that the Indian car buyer has taken a soft spot for. As an owner of a previous-generation Tata Indigo TDi, I am able to comment on exactly where Tata has made progress. And after a test-drive, I walked away impressed. Tata's engineering department has put a lot of thought into this car and it shows. Their Gen I cars were entirely forgettable (Estate especially), Gen II was Tata learning the ropes + maximising the diesel advantage (Indica, Indigo) while the Gen III cars (Manza, Vista, Nano) is Tata Motor’s coming of age. The Manza has undergone 23 lakh kms of testing; that’s over and above the Vista’s 25 lakh kms of testing. The Manza is assembled on the exact same production line as the Linea, at Tata-Fiat’s Ranjangaon facility. There’s a good and a bad side to that. The good : Paint job quality and exterior fit & finish are superb. Even the panel gaps are largely consistent (though the odd irregularity is present). The bad : Fitment of some rubber parts & interior bits is iffy (more on that later). The sales split between the regular Indigo sedan and the CS has been 50:50. The regular Indigo sedan has been discontinued with the Manza’s launch, yet the Indigo CS, XL and Marina will continue to serve their niche segments. Note: Click any picture to open a larger version in a new window. Walk up to the Manza and the first thing that hits you is that it looks like a proper sedan. The boot is better integrated than in the Indica-Indigo or Swift-Dzire siblings. The Manza does not look like a hatchback on which a boot was stuck on, as an after-thought. Nope, its not going to win any beauty contests either, but the design is par for the C segment. Up at the front, the 4 component headlamp design looks contemporary and totally non-Tata. The bumper, headlamps and grille treatment are different than that of the Vista, Tata’s way of giving the Manza its own identity. Indians love chrome and the Manza has dollops of it! The top-end variant has a chrome lining running around the entire car, the radiator grille has chrome slats, the door handles have chrome and there’s even a thick chrome plate above the rear number plate. One look at the rear and it seems as if Tata was inspired by the Cadillac of the 80's. I like the slightly squarish rear end with thin tall lights. Clean and uncluttered. The maroon colour of our test car, in particular, looks rich (same paint booth as the Linea). Tata’s trying to go a li’l premium with this car. Case in point : Take a close look at the door handles. Clean side profile. Does anyone else think that the doors have an uncanny resemblance to the Ford Fiesta’s? Carrying on the Tata family look: Striking headlamp design: There’s a reason why Tata shod the Manza with 15 inch wheels as standard. 14 inchers would have looked way too small. Even the 15 inch wheels look small from some angles. Neat wheelcap design. No alloy wheels even on the top-end: Premium-looking chrome lining on the door handles: Next to its sibling, the Vista. Notice the rubber cladding at the bottom of the front bumper. Protects the paint from scrapes: __________________ GTO Work backward from your imagination, not forward from the past! Please don't PM for support. Use the Contact Form instead. Please read the *NEW* Team-BHP FAQ section for all your queries.

The doors obviously don’t shut with that European thud, but neither are they Jap flimsy. Dual tone interiors are standard on all variants, as are the tilt-adjustable steering and 15 inch wheels. The colours are nicely co-ordinated to give the interiors an airy feeling. Where other cars have a dull silver finish on the plastic parts, this car has champagne gold (I prefer the dull silver though). Believe it or not, the dash has soft-touch panelling in the light beige area (seriously!!) and is textured too. The glass area is generous and only adds to the cabin’s bright ambience. Overall upholstery is definitely firmer than the previous gen Indigo’s soft + cushy seat padding. Firmer is better for longer drives, though softer is preferred for the shorter urban runs. The Vista was anyways a spacious hatch. Tata says they have increased the wheelbase by an additional 50 mm on the Manza. The wheelbase of the Manza is 2,520 mm (Dzire = 2,390 mm). The minute we sat on the back seat, my lower jaw dropped. There is simply no comparison with its direct competitors, we are talking atleast two segments above worth of room in here. The backrest is perfectly reclined and totally laid back; Tata says its angled at 28 degrees (and proudly adds exactly the same as the S Class). The door and center armrests are at just the right height too. I’m 5’10” sitting stretched out on the back seat and there is still a sufficient gap between my head and the roof. Note that the rear seat is placed slightly lower than in the older Indigo and you can’t just slide right in. The front seats have generous travel (fore and aft); this is one of the rare cars where I can sit on the front and completely stretch my legs. And even then, there is decent room available for the back benchers! Get this : In my C220, with me in my typical laid back driving position, no one over 5"7' can fit at the back. In the Manza, I set the driver's seat to my position and jumped right behind. There was still some room left! One of the rare sub-10 lakh cars that can comfortably carry 5 occupants (rear bench wide enough for 3). The transmission tunnel at the back is 2 inches in height. To really enjoy the backseat (center armrest et al) though, two passengers is best at the rear. This is one of the rare Tata's where you will be able to find a comfortable driving position (no messed up ergonomics). Starting with the driver’s steering rake adjustment that has good range. Thank God for that! No more truck-like steering wheel (previous-gen Indica / Indigo owners will know what I’m talking about). The driving position and all round visibility are good. The driver’s seat also comes with height adjustment which has a fairly wide range to support the shorter as well as taller Indian frames. The front seats offer sufficient support and both, the driver and front passenger, have manual lumbar handles. The lumbar adjustment by itself is only two stages (either in or out, nothing in between). The steering is on the larger side, nice to hold and has integrated controls for the stereo & your mobile phone. Importantly, I am glad that the Manza has its speedometer moved to where it belongs (in front of the driver), unlike the Vista’s center mounted speedometer position. The font of the meters is small; in fact the meters themselves are two sizes smaller than you’d expect them to be (Tata’s hand at style perhaps?). Even the trip meter numeric fonts are small. It took us about 2 – 3 hours of driving to get used to them. On the other hand, the multi-information display has large fonts. They are easy to read, but the MID fonts themselves look like they are borrowed from an 80’s Casio calculator. The indicator stalks are thick, but very clicky & plasticky to use. You do have to stretch your fingers to reach out to them (say, when using the high beam flash). Also, the wheel well is narrow and the pedals are fairly closely placed. No dead pedal on the Manza nor is there room around the clutch to rest your foot. A dead pedal will be sorely missed on long drives. The driver’s door armrest is wide enough to support your entire elbow area. Some rough edges are evident. For example, the way that the door padding is fitted, or how the dual tone upholstery merges or the paint job of the champagne gold painted plastic parts (tacky paint finish). The rubber beading is poor quality and the way in which it’s been fitted is even poorer. Some plastic parts have sharp edges. The only area that the interior will leave you wanting is on the fit & finish factor. That said, fit and finish are better than in the previous-gen Tata cars and very liveable. Though, there is still a good way to go before Japanese clinically-perfect levels are achieved (or should I say Korean as Hyundai is now the benchmark for quality in this segment). There are some surprisingly nice touches too. The air-con controls are extremely tactile to use, as is the ORVM electric adjustment knob. The dash has soft-touch material and the gear knob is made of good quality material. The 2 din music system is Bluetooth enabled for handsfree mobile phone operation, and can be paired with upto 5 phones. If the car is shared with other family members, you don’t have to mate your phone all over again. The wipers will clean up the windscreen once, after 5 seconds of your switching them off (to clear up any remaining droplets). The doors auto-lock once you start driving (must-have feature for India). However, I have to warn you : Say the driver’s door is open, you activate the lock and then shut the door, it stays locked! I predict many Manza owners will end up locking their keys inside the car. Storage space is good in some areas and average in others. Sure, the main glove box is deep and there’s a storage drawer right under the passenger seat. But there isn’t a center glove box, the door pockets are rather small (7 inches long) and the seat back pockets narrow. No convenient bottle holder on the doors either. Tata sells the top loaded Manza variant with ABS, 2 front airbags, HVAC (no climate control), tilt adjustable steering, driver's seat height adjustment, lumbar support for both front seats, 4 speakers and two tweeters music system with USB / AUX / MP3 compatibility, Bluetooth integration, steering mounted controls (stereo + phone), multi-information display, front & rear fog lamps, electric adjustments for the ORVMs and keyless entry. While at it, I must add that even the base variant come with a respectable level of kit (tilt adjust power steering, front power windows, 2 DIN stereo + 4 speakers + two tweeters, dual tone interiors, tachometer, 15 inch wheels and central locking). Class leading backseat. Very comfy: Party trick = No redline. The white revv needle progressively turns blood red when you hit high rpms (5,000 in the diesel and 6,000 in the petrol). Fairly visible during the day too: Driver's seat height adjustment has good range: Dead pedal will be missed on long drives: High quality gear knob. Leather wrapped and nicely contoured: The center console design has a huge Fiat inspiration, don’t you agree? Has a full keypad for your mobile phone. Audio system has strictly average sound quality. Bass is hollow. 4 speakers and two tweeters standard on all variants. Stereo display too cluttered and fonts too small for ease in readability. USB / AUX / MP3 ready: Steering-wheel mounted stereo controls. Small buttons: El cheapo door locks: Outside rear view mirrors are tall. Narrower than you’d expect, yet the convex mirrors give you a sufficient line of sight. Left ORVM does a good job as well. Two lanes on either side were well covered on the expressway: High quality ORVM adjustment knob. Precise clicking action. The power window switches, on the other hand, feel flimsy: Air-con controls are tactile to use. At speeds 2 & 3, the aircon does the job well in urban India: Two rupee rubber cover: Both front seats get adjustable lumbar support: Side air-con vents can be entirely shut (a la European cars!). Work well. Even the center ones can be shut, but they don’t really close completely (a la Indian cars!): Useful storage drawer under the front passenger seat. Can hold bottles, books or what have you: 460 liter boot. Wide mouth + low loading lip for convenience (lower than even the Vista hatch). As someone commented on the other Manza thread, you can fit your in-laws in here. Suspension protrudes at the end. Rear seat back can be folded down for additional cargo space. No 60:40 split though: __________________

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India’s “national engine”, the 1.3 Fiat MJD, finds its way into the Manza’s engine bay as well. The diesel is rated at 89 BHP (4,000 rpm) and 200 NM of torque (1,750 – 3,000 rpm). Yup, it’s running the Linea spec engine (with slight changes) and variable geometry turbo here. Translated = No swift-like punchy turbo kicking in. Rather, the turbo action is subtle in nature. Even though the spec sheet says that the torque comes in at 1,750 rpm, you don’t really feel much acceleration until crossing 2,000 rpm (turbo seems to really start spooling only after 1,800). And despite a variable geometry turbo, turbolag is noticeable and definitely takes some getting used to. Once you learn to keep the engine on the boil (use the right gears to stay above 2,000 rpms), its easy to drive in a pretty spirited fashion around the city. The 1.3 is fairly revv-happy and will go on till slightly over 5,000 rpm. However, the most useful revv range is between 2,100 rpms – 4,100 rpm; the Quadrajet makes maximum BHP at 4,000 rpms. There really is no point for you to revv beyond that. Best to shift up early and work the torque. What I would do in a regular driving style : Upshift in the early 2,000s and go over 4,000 only during a spirited drive or when it’s necessary to overtake that truck in the same gear. The diesel’s mid-range is useful. Even on an old school highway, overtaking 80 kph trucks is not a problem at all. But choosing the right gear (staying within the engine's power band) is important. On the expressway, she was easily cruising at 140. Beyond this, the Manza starts running out of breath and progress is slow (1.3 liter engine after all). You can stretch her legs to a realistic 165 odd kph, but it’s simply not worth it (reasons below, in the “handling” paragraph). This car is best driven as a sedate (safe) comfortable cruiser. The turbo-lag raises its ugly head on a steep incline. If you come to an absolute stop midway, you will have to generously slip the clutch (surely not a good thing). The 1.3, ironically, feels a tad more spirited in the Manza than in the Linea. The Manza's power to weight ratio (74 BHP / ton) is superior to the Linea (66 BHP / ton) and Dzire (69 BHP / Ton). Yet, the Dzire feels the most sprightly, probably due to its lower gearing and punchy turbo action. The Manza is running taller gearing in the interests of fuel efficiency. The Fiat C549 gearbox makes for the best gearshift quality seen on a Tata yet. It’s not a short-throw (medium length shifts), and has some notchiness, yet the gear-shifting action is decent. The lever itself falls nicely to your hand and finding gears is not a problem at all. This is a substantial improvement over the previous gen Indica / Indigo whose gearshift felt akin to moving a stick through a cement mix! There isn’t any drivetrain movement on the gearlever either (i.e. no shaking when accelerator is pressed). The clutch action is positive too, absolutely no vagueness, though the return action is slightly aggressive. The insulation from engine sound is good under 3,000 rpms, and at cruising speeds, passengers will be hard-pressed to tell if there is a diesel under the hood. Engine noise only gets noticeable over 3,000 rpms. The NVH levels are excellent by Tata standards. In fact, I didn’t even hear the loud drone that I experienced in the Punto a couple of weeks back. Even at 130 kph, the only thing you hear are the tyres and some amount of wind noise. The Manza’s ride quality is superb and will keep you very comfortable over your daily runs. The ride is perfectly cushioned for the city; not too soft nor too firm. Spend 10 minutes in the Manza and the Dzire; I’m willing to bet you will jump back in the Manza for the rest of the journey. The ride is good on a flat expressway too. One doesn't need to slow down for broken road patches either. However, we noticed that at high speeds, and when the road surface is undulating (up and down), the rear keeps moving vertically. Rear passengers will complain of bounciness and ask you to slow down. Due to this factor alone, you'd do well in restricting your speed to 100 – 110 on an old school uneven Indian highway. The rear suspension is no longer independent (as it was in the previous Indigo). Handling is safe enough for a family sedan. Grip levels are decent, and the chassis behaviour predictable. The 185 patch tyres are also playing their part here. You don’t need to be overtly conservative as you would in the older Indigo around corners. The handling is fairly neutral and w-a-y improved over any Tata yet. High speed stability is decent until 140 kph, though there is absolutely no comparison to the Linea which is in a different league by itself. Know her limits and you'll be safe. Drive enthusiastically and understeer rolls in easy if you keep the throttle nailed in a corner. It won’t take you aback like the older Indigo did, rather the understeer is progressive and all you need to do is lift off the pedal to bring it back in line. Above 140, you can feel the wind forces acting on the car. Push further, a sense of “waftiness” builds in and one needs to make constant steering corrections to keep the Manza in line. Be conservative with sudden direction changes at high speed. I reiterate, this sedan is best driven demurely as a comfortable highway cruiser. The hydraulic power steering has some vagueness in the center position, and one can feel a little resistance (aggressive center return action?) just when moving to the left or right. Importantly, and in a major improvement over the previous Indigo, the steering is no longer super light at speed. It weighs in sufficiently well and is safe for 130 kph expressway cruising. Again, the Linea’s steering is on an altogether different level here. Don’t expect any driver feedback in the Manza. Within the city too, the steering is perfectly weighted. Not too heavy nor too light (like the previous Indigo). No complaints on this front. The turning radius is 5.1 meters (Dzire = 4.7 and Linea = 5.5). What’s immediately evident upon your first drive in the Manza is the excellent braking system. Slam it at 130 and there is absolutely no left or right swerving; she comes to a clean halt. One of the most substantial improvements of the Manza is its braking capability. Get this; on Tata’s test track we slammed on the brakes at 80 kph. The Manza stopped with zero fuss. Next, I slammed the brakes at 130 kph and left the steering wheel. No direction change at all! She came to a halt again with no drama. The ABS system is well calibrated as well. These are the best brakes on any Tata vehicle yet, and in line with the best of the C segment. Kudos! Brief report on the 1.4 Petrol: Unlike the 1.3 diesel which Tata has retuned, the 1.4 petrol feels nearly the same as in the Linea. This unit is rated at 89 BHP @ 6,000 rpms and 116 NM of torque at 4,750 rpms. The 1.4's power delivery is more linear than in the 1.3 MJD (which has turbolag) and urban driveability is good. The 2nd gear pulls clean and is a vital tool within the city. As in the Fiats, this is a motor that needs to be worked to perform. It's smooth and revv-happy (fuel cut-off at 6,600 rpms) and is fun to work through the gears. Yup, the engine has that Italian growl at high rpms too (non-enthusiasts can get annoyed). However, it is the 1.3 diesel that is most relevant to the Manza. Both engines have an identical horsepower output, while the diesel has about 70% more torque. I would anyday recommend the diesel Manza over the petrol. For its superior torque, fuel-efficiency and expectedly better resale. Consider the petrol Manza only if your running is too low to warrant a diesel. Entry diesel prices (Delhi ex-showroom): Dzire : 548,554 Manza : 570,000 Fiesta : 693,000 Linea : 701,985 Verna : 753,016 Price of first variant with ABS (Delhi ex-showroom): Manza : 629,000 Dzire : 674,124 (with airbags. No variant with ABS only) Fiesta : 737,000 Linea : 750,994 Verna : 804,926 Price of first variant with ABS AND Airbags (Delhi ex-showroom): Dzire : 674,124 Manza : 675,000 Fiesta : 799,000 Linea : 835,000 Verna : No variant with airbags __________________

Other points: • Link to our old Manza test discussion which ran 29 pages long. • 2 year / 75,000 kms warranty as standard. 4 year / 150,000 kms warranty available at an additional cost of Rs. 5,000 odd. Well worth it IMHO! Even if you take only the 3rd year extended option, it’s still valid for 150,000 kms. • Tata needs to learn how to diet. The Manza diesel tips the scales at 1,200 kgs, a full 110 kilos more than the Dzire! • ARAI Fuel efficiency numbers : Manza 21.02 kpl and Maruti Swift Dzire 21.00 kpl. The Manza's taller gearing + retuned engine at play here. • Only wish the top end variant had a rear air-con blower. Rehaan commented that the rear air-con could also be part of an armrest storage space for the front passengers. Atleast on the top end, Tata! • A worthy alternative to the Dzire. The 1.5 lakh more expensive Linea should be worried. • The Tata Motor’s presentation frequently brought up the Honda City and the Toyota Altis. It’s clear that their space benchmarks were from a segment higher. And apparently, there’s more front room than in the City! • Not exactly an obstruction, but the rear left passenger will be able to feel the storage drawer (positioned below the front passenger seat) if he stretches his toes or lifts his foot up. • The Vista is not sold to the taxi market, nor will the Manza be. Not at least, initially. • Trim levels are exactly the same across petrol & diesel variants. • Rear doors need a strong slam to shut. A throw-back to the old days! • Center lights are actually not positioned at the center, but about 65% toward the back. Reason? Within an arms reach for rear passengers. Really thoughtful. Of course, there is a separate front interior light console too. • Relatively narrow seat back pockets. Probably just enough width for a magazine (if at all). • THICK cladding under the hood and the boot area. For sound insulation. • Fuel tank capacity = 44 liters. • A li'l birdie insists that the Tata Manza electric is on the way. • I wish that the interior designers had used a shade other than the dark grey (dual tone interiors). The light beige is nice, but the other darker shade looks like a grey of yesteryear. • The diesel and petrol variants, both, have the same revv meter. It’s a little odd to drive a diesel car with a revv counter that goes all the way to 8,000 rpms! Heck, that’s the max that my high-revving 7,100 rpm redlining OHC Vtec is marked till. • Dashboard reflection can get annoying under direct sunlight. • Rear neck restraints (headrests) are a neat place to park your head on (whether you are tall or short). • Ground clearance of 165 mm. Nope, we didn't scrape the underbelly anywhere in our test that covered varied driving conditions. • Boot and fuel lid openers are clearly marked. No chance of confusion between the two (as is the case in some other cars). • 185/60/15 tyres standard on all variants (even the base). All the test cars we saw had Bridgestone tyres as standard. • Motorised headlight adjustment (beam height) is via the right headlight stalk itself. • Steering wheel buttons are small and made of thin rubber. I have my doubts on how long that rubber covering is going to last. • Accelerator pedal is super light. Drive-by-wire tech. The clutch action is par for the segment. This is not a car that women will complain about driving. • The car looks smaller in person than the promotional materials would have you believe! • Glass used on the audio system display looks rich. Has a subtle tint as well. • Seat belts are NOT height-adjustable. • Only driver power window has auto down. No auto up. • Even under direct sunlight, there is no glare on the instrument console at all. • Gear knob is wrapped in leather. But not the steering. • I wish Tata has simply called the Manza a “Tata Manza”. Why bring in the Indigo badge here? • Bluetooth integration can also stream audio from a Bluetooth device. • For someone who takes the driver seat back all the way (very reclined too), the right hand side mirror didn’t extend out as much as I’d have liked. On the other hand, the left side ORVM was okay. • Pretty loud seat belt warning chime (if you haven’t worn your belt). You cannot ignore. Unfortunately, only for the driver (not passenger). • Airbags + ABS available for the first time in a Tata sedan. Steering column is collapsible too. • Door handles have small coin holders (right below the power window controls). However, you’d rather not keep coins there else they will make quite a racket (hard metal against hard plastic). • Definite glare on the MID during the day under direct sunlight. • Nope, there certainly isn’t a need for a Manza XL variant (a la Indigo XL) at all. Rear legroom is generous. • Want to know why the Logan flopped? Get this : The top loaded Manza is cheaper than the top loaded Logan today. It’s really all about the right costs + VFM pricing in the C segment. Just ask Dzire. • Seven colour options : Champagne gold, White, Maroon (our test car), Dark grey, Silver, Blue and Black. __________________ GTO Work backward from your imagination, not forward from the past! Please don't PM for support. Use the Contact Form instead. Please read the *NEW* Team-BHP FAQ section for all your queries.

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The Smaller yet significant things: Classy smallish meters with the now ubiquitous silver outlining: Multi-information display throws out info on distance to empty, real time fuel efficiency, averaged fuel efficiency and exterior temperature. The real time & average fuel efficiency figures fluctuate quickly: Larg'ish steering wheel is nice to use: An example of the lapse in fit & finish: Note that mirrors swing the opposite way too (crucial in India where they are knocked everyday by pedestrians + bikers). Tata knows Indian conditions way too well to overlook such a vital design requirement: Uniquely positioned side indicator lamp at the bottom of the A pillar: Rubber blocks on the spare wheel cover look so "jugaad": Remote control for the audio system. Good for back seaters. Slim size, I bet that you will be frequently searching for it: Sweet looking door scuff plates: Lockable glove box runs looooog inside. Has its own light too. Can probably store some books or a small laptop in there. Has spots to hold a pen and business cards: Rear bench armrest a comfortable spot for your arms. Two large cup holders (with rubber padding!!) too: Euro-design rear headrests: Long key. Keyless entry (lock / unlock buttons): Effective handbrake. Notice the non-slip rubber padding on the storage spot right below: 12V socket for rear benchers. Surf Team-BHP on your laptop all the way to Goa! Thanks to BHPian "Bouncer" for the pic: Front passenger airbag can be switched off (say, if there is a child on the front seat): Vanity mirror has useful lights on either side: That's the space with me in the driver's seat. "Shoes of the year award" to friendly Moderator Dippy: Center light positioned 65% toward the rear for easy access to the chauffeur-driven "Seth": Inexplicable!! Screenshot captured on 29/10/2009. Tata's website still shows the discontinued Indigo, and not a mention of the Manza (on the main Tata cars page):